1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to optically pumped solid-state lasers and more specifically, to a device, arrangement, and method for removing excess heat from a solid-state lasing slab in order to stabilize the lasing operation.
2. Description of Prior Art
Generally, the conversion of incoherent optical energy into coherent optical radiation is accompanied by the generation of heat which must be removed from the device essentially instantaneously. While much effort has been made to efficiently and effectively remove waste heat from diode laser arrays, the removal of waste heat from the solid-state lasing material has been found to be more challenging. Cooling of the lasing medium avoids or negates the build-up of temperature gradients and thereby the strain and stress in the lasing host material. Thus, variation of the refractive index and optical distortion can be largely controlled or avoided. The immediate result is improved beam quality and/or increased average power in the laser output. The removal of waste heat and the concurrent thermal management of the lasing medium also is the most important issue and the premiere factor limiting scale-up to compact, high-power solid-state laser devices.
The currently most energy-efficient method to generate high-power, coherent optical radiation, utilizes the output of a number of compact diode laser arrays to pump a solid-state medium containing the lasant or lasing species of choice. While the prior art has reported using cooling systems and techniques to cool diode laser arrays, none have established a basis for a specific apparatus that is dedicated to the task of resolving the particular problem at hand. What is needed in this instance is an apparatus and technique for the removal of thermal energy from solid-state lasing materials without direct heat exchange medium contact such that there is no performance deterioration.